A Hero's Fate
by xoxmitchiexox
Summary: When Link's village is attacked, he's sent to Hyrule Castle to warn the royal family, but is arrested in the process. When Sheik breaks him out, he must join the Sheikah in a quest. Can he gain Sheik's trust and save Hyrule from a terrible fate?
1. Train

**Well, here we go. I haven't written in a long time and I've never written LoZ fanfiction, so bear with me if this is absolutely awful. . . though I sincerely hope you like it.**

_She was beautiful._

_She floated mere inches from me, soft, pure white light exuding from her very skin. I don't even remember her face, but I know it was beautiful. I remember her hair was light-colored and her eyes blue. Her eyes. They held something strong, I know. Something powerful, but not forceful. A force of benevolence, somehow. I could have touched her, but I knew my place. Somehow, she was important. She was staring straight at me, trying to convey something, but I was oblivious, and I was running out of time._

"_Link." _

_It was as though she'd said my name a million times. But somehow, it wasn't right. It took me a moment to realize that the name hadn't really fallen from her lips. It was somewhere else, echoing in the great white void._

"_Link!"_

Link's eyes snapped open, and instantly, he jerked back, eyes wide, from the face inches from his, which beamed smugly. Her bright, green eyes sparkled with the joy she got from startling him.

"About time! Your training lesson with Kardos starts in about five minutes," the girl before him - Link's best friend, Aeara - said, walking toward the open trapdoor in the middle of Link's small, wooden home. "Hurry up!" she shouted over her shoulder as her long, red hair whipped over the edge of the trapdoor as she dropped down the hole.

Link sat up, rubbing his eyes with his fists. _What a lovely day it is_, Link thought, _when your wake-up call is physical labor in the form of a cruelly perky little girl._

Link forced himself out of bed, changing out of his loose sleeping pants, leaving them on the floor, as he made his way to the trunk at the foot of his bed. He rummaged through it, finding a roomy outfit fit enough for swordplay, then pulling it on and trudging his way to the trap door before making his way down the ladder.

When Link had turned fourteen, the whole village had celebrated his being old enough to take care of himself by helping him build his new home. Though it wasn't much, he'd had one odd request: he wanted it off the ground. Though it took a little extra work, they gave him this, everyone in the village considering the boy family, as they had all helped take care of him, growing up - more so especially when his parents died in a raid when he was five.

From then on, Link was raised by a family friend - an elderly man with no children of his own, his own family having died many years before. This man later became his teacher, when the sword master decided Link was old enough to bear the blade.

"I'm sorry, Kardo-" Link started as he ran through the open door he had used for so many years of his young life.

"_Master_," Kardos, an old man with a beard to his stomach and a bald head and frequently wore no shirt and a cocky, good-natured smile, reminded Link arrogantly. Link rolled his eyes, smiling, as he picked up his practice sword.

"Yes, _Master_. What will you be teaching me today, _Master_?" Link asked, adding a little extra sarcasm, and Kardos simply laughed in response.

"Oh, boy, you are lucky that you are like my own son or I'd have to whoop you, today, for that," Kardos said, and Link laughed back to mock him, in jest, knowing that Kardos really could destroy him in a sword fight any day. Kardos may have had years weighing on him, but he also had years of training and advantage. He knew every fighting style there was, and knew exactly how to outwit every opponent. Link had learned this very young, the first time he raised his sword to Kardos, when the old man decided that Link needed to have his cocky attitude knocked out of him early. . . at seven years old.

The lesson went exactly as they always did - painful, long, and exhilarating. Link both hated and loved it. While it did completely wear him out, he still enjoyed it immensely. With sword in hand, he felt free. Strong. Passionate. Empty of all troubles - just tactics and strategies. The only new thing that occurred at that particular day's practice was that Link almost won a fight. Almost. However, he became so distracted by the mere thought - _Winning? How is this possible? _- that it took Kardos almost no effort to knock him off his feet and blossom a lovely little headache in the back of Link's skull.

By the time the lesson was over, just like every other day, Link had to limp out the door as Kardos chuckled behind him. If he didn't like Kardos so much, Link sometimes swore he'd probably hate him. There was just something about having the old man raise him that made Link understand him.

As the sun sank past the treetops that heavily surrounded their village, Link traipsed toward his home, holding his bruising arm, tired and hungry. It wasn't often he was made to endure a full day of training, but the days had begun to be more frequent. Kardos had been starting to make vague references to his own age, and something about how the shadows didn't seem right. Link would vaguely wonder as they would take breaks to eat and Kardos would mumble to himself if the old man wasn't becoming senile.

Then again, Link wouldn't be surprised if he was. Kardos had lived a long life full of pain, trauma, and misfortune, and though he did not speak much of it, Link knew that more went on behind those weary eyes of Kardos' than he let on. Link felt as though Kardos may have felt guilty about the death of his family, though, never having been allowed to hear the full story and never wanting to cause Kardos pain by bringing the subject up, he would simply not allow himself to think about it.

Link's house, on the edge of the village, cut off slightly by a few extra trees and a small stream, was finally in sigh. He was contemplating how much of a pain it'd be to climb that ladder when he heard it. The voice he knew had to belong to the girl in the dream.

"_Link._"

**Reviews and constructive criticism are much appreciated. Let me know if I'm a bit redundant, as I have a tendency to be. **

**~ xoxmitchiexox**


	2. Flee

Link swung around, not knowing what he expected to see, but whatever it was, he didn't find it. Instead, it was Aeara, again. He smiled to greet her and she bounded up to him, thick, fiery red hair bouncing.

"Care to go for a dip in the spring?" Aeara asked him, and he looked longingly at his home. She rolled her eyes playfully, grabbed his arm, and dragged him toward a wooded path. "You can clean up before you get to bed. You look like you spent the day rolling on Kardos' dusty floor," she said, giving him a sidelong glance. Link chuckled.

"Basically, yes," he said, and Aeara laughed.

They heard the spring before they saw it, an everlasting tinkling that resounded cheerfully off the trees. Around a bend in the path, it forked, and they took the left path, the spring finally coming into view. Crystal clear, pristine, and around seven feet deep, the spring was fed from a raised level, where a deep, underground chasm leaked the cool, refreshing water. Aeara and Link stripped to their underclothes and waded into the water, making sure to "accidently" splash one another every now and then.

When they were clean, they both made their way back to the water's edge where they laid, half-in half-out of the water, hands behind their heads, facing the sky, eyes closed.

"Have you noticed Kardos has been talking to himself a lot, lately?" Aeara asked suddenly. Link glanced at her with one eye, but both her eyes were closed.

"Um. . . yeah," Link said, unsure of where this was going.

"I've heard before than an oracle living in the village. . . but that it was ages ago," she said, and Link looked at her, furrowing his eyebrows. Still, she wouldn't look at him. "But Kardos. . . he's been saying all sorts of things, lately. . . that he can feel it in the air. . . that something's about to change. . . that something's coming, and we have to be prepared, and he's been trying to do his part." Finally, Aeara looked at him, but said no more. Link watched her.

"So. . . what, you think Kardos is an oracle?" Link asked, and Aeara raised her eyebrows slightly, then smiled to brush the idea off.

"But then again, maybe he's just losing it," she said, then stood up. She began to pull on her clothes as Link sat up, staring into the water. "See you tomorrow, Link," Aeara said, and Link waved to her as she walked around the tree line.

Link sat there for a moment, staring into the water, before he finally stood and dressed. He made his way toward the path, but stopped, listening, dead silent.

He looked slowly over his shoulder, to the spring. Nothing had changed. It looked exactly the same. . . but something felt wrong. He turned and walked out, and right before he stepped out of the clearing, he heard it again.

His name. A whisper on the breath of the wind. A low hiss in the twinkling of the water. His name. A warning.

Link shook his head and headed for home.

Link was asleep the second his head hit his feather pillow. He fell into a deep abyss, and his dreams were black with whispers. His name, the warning. What were they warning him? He felt a tugging sensation, as though someone was trying very hard to get his attention, but he was too far into the chasm to be reached. _Link_. . . the voices whispered. _Link_. . . _hero_. . . _awaken_. . . _Link_. . . _LINK_.

Link's eyes snapped open, and once again, he found himself startled by the pale face of his friend. Only this time, Aeara's eyes weren't filled with joy, but worry.

"What is it?" Link asked, his words coming out in a groggy mumble as Aeara began to pull him out of bed.

"Something's wrong. It's Kardos. He wants to see you," she said quickly, pulling him down the ladder. Link blinked groggily as he realized it was still dark out.

"What time is it?" he asked as she began to lead him through the village.

"Three, I think," Aeara said distractedly before dragging him through Kardos' front door. Link glanced around to find several people in Kardos' home, including the village healer, an elderly woman named Celestia, and the town elders. Kardos himself was lying in bed, looking irate.

"I said I don't need none of you!" Kardos exclaimed before setting eyes on Link and Aeara. He glared around at the others. "Give us a minute, wouldja?" he asked gruffly, and, grumbling, the crowd went, leaving Link and Aeara. As Kardos pulled Link closer by his sleeve - which Link just realized belonged to his clothes from the previous day, in which he had not changed out of - Aeara busied herself on the other side of the room, careful not to eavesdrop.

"Link," Kardos said in a low voice, looking Link dead in the eyes with his silvery blue eyes. "Everything will change, tonight. You have to understand that this is how it must be. It is fate, my boy, and you must not try to change it. You cannot stay to fight. Your friends will be safe. It is you they will be after," Kardos said quickly, and Link didn't bother to hide his confusion. What was this old man talking about? "You will take a horse - I found her for you, she was meant to be your birthday present next month, but I fear. . . well, you will need her now. She awaits you in the stables. Take a sword, and get to Hyrule Castle. You must inform them what has befallen your village. If all else fails, find the Sheikah. Well. . . allow them to find you. They will know what to do."

"Kardos, what-?" Link began, but was cut off by the sound of a scream outside. Aeara dropped the pot she had been holding, and it shattered. Kardos closed his eyes, straining his face.

"They are here," Kardos whispered in a hoarse voice that didn't quite sound like his own. He opened his eyes, which flashed as he gave Link a hard look. "You must go." He nodded toward the door, and Link, in a daze, turned toward it, but Kardos clutched his sleeve once more. "The sword is on my table. Take it. It is yours, now." Link turned to Kardos, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The old man's eyes suddenly softened.

"Link. . . know that I have always been proud of you. I know your parents would have been, as well, though they never could have foreseen your fate. I have. . . confessions, but now is not the time to tell you," Kardos sighed then cast a glance at his bedside table before turning his attention back to Link. "Link. . . my boy. Please. . . just. . . never lose your fire, boy. No matter how dark everything becomes, no matter how hopeless it may seem. . . don't lose your fire. You were always the bravest child I ever knew. . . and I know that this fate. . . it rests on worthy shoulders," Kardos said, patting and clutching Link's shoulder for emphasis, looking into Link's eyes one last time. "Now go. Quickly."

Link nodded defiantly, still unsure of what all of this meant, but determined to make Kardos proud. He grabbed the sword off the table, put the holster across his body, and exited the home with one last look to both his dearest friends, one of whom looked very confused as she swept up the remains of the pot she had dropped.

Link halted the moment he stepped outside the door. The street was overrun with creatures he had never seen before, barbaric and decaying, making awful screeching sounds as they swung their weapons and set fire to one of the homes of the village. Swords clashed as the men of the village fought the creatures, some on horseback. In the darkness, Link could not make out much detail, and knew that, were these things looking for him, it would be difficult for them to see him in this light.

Running along the edge of the house and into the tree line, Link ducked into the shadows and sprinted toward the stables. As soon as he was behind them, he dashed along the wall, and flung open the door and ran in. All the horses were gone but one in the very back, a young filly. Link quickly opened the gate and climbed onto her back, then set off. Once out of the stable, the horse began running at full speed, darting through the village and chaos.

The sight of a certain sword caught Link's attention and he realized it was Kardos fighting off three monster single-handedly, though somehow, the battle seemed even. Something seemed off about the display, however, though Link could not quite figure out what.

Suddenly, one of the monsters Kardos was fighting dropped of no apparent reason, though he just rolled his eyes.

"_I_ don't need your help, girly!" Kardos seemed to shout to no one in particular, then Link noticed his fiery-haired friend was perched on top of a house with a bow in hand. When Aeara saw Link looking at her, she winked, and Link shook his head, smiling slightly.

Link rode out of the village, hating that he felt like he was abandoning everyone he cared about in their time of need, but if Kardos was correct and the monsters were after him, the best thing he could do was draw them away.

Link and the horse - he suddenly realized its lack of a name and decided to figure it out later - wove through a path in the woods at full speed for about an hour before he decided he would let her take a break from running.

As the horse trotted lightly, still seeming full of energy, Link pulled the sword off his back to look at it. It was probably the one he'd been practicing with for years.

Something snapped in Link's mind. Why Kardos' fight had seemed off. Kardos had not been fighting with his own sword, but Link's practice sword. A slight difference to anyone else, but Link knew how defensive Kardos was of his sword, that Kardos refused to use anything else. Link pulled the sword out of the scabbard to look at the intricate design - like vines down the middle of the blade. Suddenly, everything began to make sense, became a forceful reality as Link traced the design on Kardos' sword lightly with his forefinger.

The men in Link's village only passed on their swords when they were dead.

**Yeah. So. Review? Anyone? Anyone? *offers cookie* Let me know if this a complete waste of time or not?**

**xoxmitchiexox**


	3. Uphold

Daylight was breaking by the time Link decided to rest. He had decided not to stop while it was dark - after all, if there were monsters in his village, who was to say they wouldn't be in Hyrule Field. The castle was in sight when he stopped, but just barely, and all he could make out was the very top of a tower past the trees and sloping hills.

He and the horse both napped for a while, until finally, the sun was staring him straight in the face. After allowing the horse to graze for a moment, they set off again, now keeping to the edge of the trees. Two hours of numbing horse-riding later, the horse rounded a corner and Link was finally able to catch site of the castle.

Link gazed at the town in awe. A bridge linked the field to the walled-in town, little of which was visible, and the castle at what seemed to be the back of the town jutted into the sky, magnificent and overwhelming. Looking off to the side of the bridge, Link noticed the river that coursed under it was a fairly long way down.

Link glanced around, realizing he had no idea what to do with his horse. Was it improper to ride into town on it? Frowning, he realized he didn't care. His village had been attacked while these people remained safely walled up. He rode the horse straight across the bridge and into the town. Though he told himself he didn't care, he was slightly relieved when he saw others riding horses in town. He hopped off of the filly and led her toward the center of the large, bustling town.

It didn't take him long to realize that he wouldn't exactly have an easy time strolling right into the castle, either. Guards were everywhere, blank-faced and holding spears, looking as menacing as a dormouse and twice as stupid.

He was just contemplating how one goes up to a guard and says "Hello, I'm new in town. My village is under attack by crazy monsters, can you show me to the nearest royal family?" without sounding crazy when he heard scuffling behind him. He turned and was appalled by what he saw.

A large, burly man had a small, elderly man by the arm, his face inches from the ancient, weathered one. The man growled something to the old man while the old man simply stared at him with a calm expression.

"Where is it, old man?" the gargantuan shouted, and Link glanced around to see if anyone was looking. A young woman with her face down. Children looking the other way. Grown men casting sidelong glances, doing nothing. A boy passing by, his eyes darting from the scene and away, the rest of his expression hidden by a cowl. No one would help.

"I told you, the supplies don't come in until Tuesday. Now if you please - "

The large man shoved the elderly one to the ground, and Link glanced to the guards, who simply continued to stare off with their blank expression. _Aren't they going to do anything?_ Link wondered. A large guard met Link's wide eyes, examined the scene, then looked almost boredly away. Fury engulfed Link and he turned to the large man, suddenly unafraid of his bulk. He unsheathed his sword and forced his way between the two men.

"Leave him alone, you great ogre!" Link shouted, face turning red. What was wrong with these people? How could someone just allow this kind of behavior? The burly man looked surprised for a moment - probably at Link's impertinence - before his face darkened. He chuckled, a low, dangerous laugh that would have scared Link off if he hadn't been so furious.

"Boy, you don't know who you're messing with," the man said.

"Now, Adolpho, calm down, the boy simply - " the old man behind Link spoke, but was interrupted.

"Shut it, old man! I am tired of you. Always taking ages to sharpen a damn sword. You are lucky I need only my fists to teach this. . . _child_ a lesson," Adolpho spat the word like a curse and Link tightened his sweaty palm around his sword. Adolpho glanced down and smirked. "Ah. . . I see we have a lefty," he said as though suddenly amused and his mouth spread into a horrible, ugly grin before he raised his fist and plummeted it at Link's face.

Luckily, Link's instincts were quick from years of training and he dodged the blow a mere second before it would have split his skull open. Unwilling to use weapons for more than a threat just yet, Link ducked and ploughed his shoulder straight into Adolpho's gut, winning a satisfying gasp from Adolpho. Unfortunately, though, Adolpho was also quick and soon had his thick arm around Link's throat.

Clawing at the arm, Link gasped for air as Adolpho chuckled lowly at his feeble attempts. Link could feel himself getting lighter and looked to Adolpho, sneering menacingly, in the corner of his eye. Suddenly, three needles blossomed from Adolpho's face, which quickly turned to an expression of shock and he released Link, who dropped to the ground. Clawing at the needles, Adolpho fell to his knees with pain. Link, still dazed, heard a guard call something into the crowd.

A man, who seemed to be a medic, pulled Adolpho to the side, and as Link watched, he was yanked to his feet and restrained.

"Hey!" he yelled and looked back to see the guards holding him.

"The use of weapons is prohibited in town, young man," a guard with a stony face said.

"But I didn't use any weapons!" Link said in indignation. After all, technically, he hadn't. The guard looked at him with an expression of pure loathing.

"I am unsure of what your definition of a _weapon_ is where you come from, _child_, but here, throwing needles are included," the guard said in a spiteful and belittling tone. Link gaped at him.

"But those weren't mine! How could I have thrown them, even? I was being choked!" Link shouted, and the guards began to shove him away.

"We'll let the judge decide that, now, won't we?" the guard smirked. Another guard raised his eyebrow in question.

"But. . . you _are_ the judge, Rudolpho," the other guard said in an almost ignorant voice, then smirked, as did Rudolpho.

"Oh. _Right_," Rudolpho said, and the two laughed as they dragged Link toward what looked like the entrance to a cellar and swung open the door.

Link lost count of all the turns, eventually. After a while, all he could think of was how badly he'd messed up. His village had been counting on him to inform the royalty of Hyrule of what had happened, and he had gotten himself in trouble within minutes of his entering town.

Rudolpho kicked a door to a barred cell - the only one, it seemed, in the corridor they'd stopped in - open and threw Link inside, his shoulder crashing painfully against the stone floor. He looked up, grimacing, holding his shoulder, just in time to see Rudolpho smile sickly and slam the door shut.

"Have a good time in there, princess," Rudolpho said as he and his comrade walked away, chuckling darkly.

Link laid on the floor of his cell, staring at the ceiling. Why had he gotten himself into this mess? He had been in town less than ten minutes and was already arrested. And not even for his own actions. For a scuffle, he would evidently have gotten nothing, but for the needles that did not belong to him, he had been sent down here to await judgement - or, even more likely, wait and rot while the "judge" forgot he existed and never bothered to give him any real sentence.

The worst part of his imprisonment was that he finally had time to think, mostly about what Aeara and Kardos had said. Aeara had spoken about an oracle. Kardos had known what was coming, apparently for a long time. If Kardos was an oracle, however, and had given Link his sword, that meant. . .

But Kardos couldn't die. He was the most resilient, energetic, strong person Link had ever known. But Kardos was getting old, and every training session, it had become more and more evident. Link still couldn't defeat the old man, but then again, Link had never wanted to hurt him. Surely a few dozen beasts with the worst of intentions would mean more of a challenge than Link ever did.

Link tried to escape his thoughts, but they always wandered back to the village. What had become of his friends? Kardos had promised they would be safe. Then again, Kardos had said _all_ of Link's friends, and then he'd given Link the very symbolism of his death. Maybe Kardos hadn't considered himself to be Link's friend? Just a mentor. More family than friend, perhaps? But Link had always seen Kardos as a friend, even before his parents had died.

Link sighed and rolled onto his side, closing his eyes. After a long and fitful fight, he managed to fall asleep.

**Soo. . . sorry about slow updates. I have actually had quite a few of these chapters written for a while, it's just a matter of whether I'm feeling too lazy to get on the computer to update or not. . . . But anyways, I'm going to try my hardest to keep everyone in character as best I can, even though Link talks. Where I to make it where he does not, it would end up being another story entirely, because of reasons.**

**But MOVING ON. Thank you for reading, and review? Pwease?**

**xoxmitchiexox**


	4. Escape

Moonlight showed through the small window, high on the wall of Link's cell. When he opened his eyes, he was, at first, confused as to what had caused him to awaken. He looked over and noticed his sword lay just outside of the cell door. Furrowing his eyebrows, Link got up and walked silently to the door. Pressing the door lightly with his fingertips, he was shocked to find it unlocked. He snatched up his sword, put the strap about his body, and walked down the corridor that led to his room.

"I'm going to check on prisoner four," a voice resounded down the stone walls and Link pressed himself against the wall, just next to the corner he had been about to turn.

"Okay, I'll be with Maccus," another voice said before walking away. The other set of footsteps started toward Link and he tried to think quickly.

He could try to take this guard on - he'd obviously have the element of surprise - but then he'd be attacking a guard, and then he'd automatically lose the trust of the royal family, whom he still needed to report to. He could go back to his cell and pretend to be a good boy while the guard realized the door was, somehow, unlocked.

The footsteps were almost five feet away when, suddenly, they stopped. Link could hear the slight scuffing sound of a foot turning, then a grunt, followed by a thud. When someone walked around the corner to face Link, he was unsure whether to run, attack, or thank him. Instead, he stood there, dumbfounded.

He recognized the strange person. He had been in the square earlier, when Link was looking for help for the old man. He had a cowl about their face so only his scarlet red eyes and blonde hair showed. Bandages were wrapped about the top of his head and several parts of his body over the top of a blue body-covering outfit, a loose bit of fabric hanging below their cowl with an odd emblem like a bleeding eye with three triangles above it. Link was about to start backing away, thinking up a getaway plan when the boy jerked his head sharply toward the way he had just come, turning and walking around the corner.

Link followed the unfamiliar boy through the corridors, who paused every once in a while to listen before continuing on. He trekked after the stranger, turn after turn, seeming to take more downward slopes than up, before they finally stopped in a small room with a table against the wall. The boy climbed onto the table, threw open what had previously appeared to simply be part of the ceiling, and hoisted themself through. They jutted their hand back in, and Link glanced around one last time before climbing onto the table, taking the stranger's hand, and being pulled surprisingly easily out.

Link's apparent savior shut the trap door and began walking away. Link looked around, noticing they seemed to be in a tunnel. It was dimly lit with torches every dozen yards or so, and water flowed at about ankle-depth. On either side of the water, where they stood, were raised pathways, probably for maintenance. The strange boy turned and was about to begin walking again when Link grabbed their arm and they turned. Maybe he was imagining it, but they seemed to be scowling. Suddenly, Link realized the peculiarity of the situation - he didn't even know this person.

"Who are you?" Link asked before he realized it, and the stranger rolled his eyes.

"Sheik," he replied in a bored tone, his voice quiet and scrachy, as if rarely used, sounding completely irritated with Link for such a simple question. Link nodded slowly.

"Well. . . thank you, Sheik. Now. . . how can I get into the castle?" Link asked curiously, and Sheik's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"The castle?" Sheik asked and Link nodded.

"I'm supposed to inform the royal family of attacks from beasts in my village," Link said. Sheik blinked slowly, glanced away from Link, then back to him.

"Duly noted. They shall know. You, however, must come with me," Sheik said before turning and walking town the tunnel without another word. Link stood there for a moment, slowly becoming irate, wondering if this journey would ever begin to straighten back out, before sighing and following Sheik.

Eventually, a dim light appeared ahead, bluer than the torches, and within a few yards, Link was able to make out the shape of a large arch that opened into the slowly fading night.

Sheik jogged ahead and peered out the archway before turning back to Link, who was gazing down at the murky black water as it rushed to its escape.

"There's a slight drop right ahead, but to both sides, there are rocks you can climb. I've brought your horse to the side of the river," Sheik said shortly , giving Link a brief moment to feel relief over Epona, before disappearing out of the tunnel to climb skillfully down the rocks. Link followed after him, looking down and frowning at the messy pile of jagged rocks that glinted up at him in the moonlight. He had never been the most graceful person by any means, save for when it came to swordplay. He sighed and began ambling his way down, his only concern being to not impale himself on a particularly pointy rock.

By the time Link had made it to the bottom of the pile, Sheik was waiting, Epona's reigns in his small hand. Link held his hand out to take the reigns, but Sheik pulled back, eying Link slightly.

"Perhaps I should take the lead. You may never find where we're going if I am only telling you where to go," Sheik said carefully and Link frowned, then shrugged to show his consent. Sheik nodded slightly before getting onto Epona and Link followed. The horse whinnied slightly in protest to the extra weight, but held them up just fine. Link smirked as he imagined the disgruntled thoughts the horse might be having.

Sheik set Epona into motion and Link had to hold onto Sheik to keep himself from falling off of the foreign place near the back of his horse.

They rode for a while, Link keeping his eyes on the area around them at all times, both wary of monsters and in awe of the land. He had never even been out of his village, let alone past Hyrule Castle. By the time Epona finally began to slow, the sun was beginning to peak over the horizon. Sheik brought the horse around off of a path they had been taking through a forest and zigzagged around the trees, which gradually became thicker and more difficult to avoid.

Finally, they entered a clearing and Link had to blink to make sure he wasn't imagining things.

The clearing was full of tents and campfires, most unlit. A few women stood at a large basin, appearing to be washing clothes. Around one campfire sat several children who were intently watching the elderly man opposite them, who seemed to be exaggeratedly telling a story. People ambled around, some speaking in groups, girls giggling, men muttering in hushed tones, young men carrying supplies around the camp.

Any of this could have been completely average, but the truth of it all snapped into Link's mind as he realized what the strange emblem on Sheik's chest was, why every one of the people in that camp had scarlet eyes. These people were the Sheikah, a tribe said to have vanished hundreds of years ago.

**Hey, guys. Sorry it's short, but mostly, I had to write a chapter to let you all know I might not get to post anything for a while, as our Internet connection will probably be shut off pretty soon. So, try not to hate me too much for that.**

**Reviews = happy me = more easily written chapters. 3**

**-xoxmitchiexox**


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